Genoa – Liguria is preparing for a change of pace in terms of construction sites and the modernization of infrastructures, with special attention in relation to the environmental criticalities to be solved.
This is the theme of the conference that took place this morning at Palazzo Della Borsa entitled “Liguria infrastructures: mobility, environment, safety”, which was attended by the mayors of the territory, the trade unions, the Port Authorities of Genoa, Savona and La Spezia , the commissioners for major works, the CEO of the Webuild group Pietro Salini and the CEO of Aspi Roberto Tomasi.
And Tomasi himself, in his speech, announced the possibility that already in 2023 the works for the subport tunnel can begin. “We have the local authorities and in particular the mayor of Genoa Marco Bucci who push us to be able to better open the activities for the subport tunnel for January 2023” – said Roberto Tomasi – The tunnel “is a futuristic work at an international level to change the mobility of the city of Genoa – he concluded -. These are complex works for which we have the skills and abilities to be able to carry them out “.
Governor Toti: “14 billion in investments, 23 thousand jobs”
By 2026 at least half of the 14 billion euros of investments in infrastructure planned in Liguria will be realized. This is the road map indicated by the President of the Liguria Region Giovanni Toti and by the Regional Councilor for Infrastructures Giacomo Giampedrone.
This is an investment plan already underway such as the Terzo Valico or close to starting thanks to the Pnrr and the railway plan of the FS, which announced both the doubling of the line in Western Liguria and the Pontremolese.
The Region estimates that the 1 billion euro investment in infrastructure already in place in Liguria has created 23,000 jobs in 5,000 construction sites. “This billion in investments already in place will be completed by 2023”, explains Giampedrone.
“The infrastructures are everything for Liguria, – Toti intervenes – they are the competitiveness of the ports, which therefore means the competitiveness of companies in the North West, the most productive system in the country, they mean tourist accessibility, the possibility for companies to establish themselves in the territory” .
The plan includes strategic interventions for the region: “A gigantic work is expected that is aligning itself like the planets on the sky of Liguria to make it one of the most competitive regions in Italy in the next four to five years in which we will realize a great deal of what the Ligurians have been expecting for at least thirty years: the Terzo Valico, the new dam, the new docks and the last mile of the tracks in the port of Genoa, the new terminal in Genoa, the doubling of the railway in Western Liguria, the Pontremolese, the new stations cruises of Genoa and Spezia “.
Gronda, Toti: “We are ready. We are waiting for others to take the necessary steps “
Governor Giovanni Toti, in his speech, also spoke from Gronda: “I hope Minister Giovannini’s reassurances are really the viaticum to start the construction of the Genoa Ponente motorway Gronda. We are ready, we have already made the expropriations for the construction sites, the Liguria Region is the only one that has already been on the starting line for a long time and is waiting for the others. transfer of Aspi into the hands of Cdp there are all the conditions “.
Tomasi, CEO of Aspi: “Modular interventions on construction sites needed”
One of the themes at the center of discussion and news in Liguria is certainly that of the motorway network. And construction sites that have been causing inconvenience and queues for months. Aspi CEO Roberto Tomasi reiterated today the need for a discussion with the institutions: “Dialogue with Mims, the Region and local authorities also on the interpretation of the current regulations is fundamental precisely to try to modulate the necessary modernization interventions with the transport needs that we understand to be of extreme impact in the Liguria region “.
The CEO of Autostrade also spoke about the cashbackafter today the go-ahead from the Antitrust to the system of reimbursement of the motorway toll arrived: “We are pleased because it denotes a measure of attention to users. In cashback there are much higher potential and obviously Liguria is the gymnasium for verifying our ability to be close to our users who every day understand that they experience great transport complications. We must also make it clear how important the need to modernize the most complex region at national level is “.
Salini, CEO of Webuild: “On the Terzo Valico the works are proceeding as planned”
The managing director of the Webuild group Pietro Salini intervened on the site of the Terzo Valico, underlining how the intervention plan is proceeding in line with what was expected: “I think that the deadlines for the realization of the Terzo Valico can be respected taking into account the technical difficulties that We meet. We always dig a tunnel: we cannot always predict the future on the basis of the present “.
The objective of seeing the Genoa-Milan high-speed railway completed by 2024 remains achievable: “We had some technical and contractual problems to settle, finally the decree on prices has also intervened, certainly gives oxygen to subcontractors who were in great need of them. We know the urgency of Genoa regarding the construction of this connection, we are working with railways to expand the possibilities of reaching Milan also with the current lines and with the new Genoa junction “.
Salini also returned to the issue of extra costs linked to major works: “I don’t think it will be the last time that the Government will have to intervene on extra costs in the construction sector, if clearly the conditions do not return to what they once were, which at the moment unfortunately it is not the scenario. The government decree on extra costs in the construction sector is part of the solution, subcontractors have long been expecting a price increase and have suffered it on their skin, we are also suffering on our skin. If the resources increase in cost, the builders who use them every day must be remunerated, one cannot think that someone will buy iron at 100 and sell it to the country at 50, it is unthinkable and must be taken into account. There are no privileged channels of manufacturers for the procurement of raw materials, they buy them on the market like everyone else, when you understand you can also do the jobs, but if you don’t understand the jobs are not done, period “.
Mauceri, commissioner of the Third Pass: “Having reached 80% of the excavations, 100 meters of the Colombo tunnel under Genoa are missing”
For Calogero Mauceri, commissioner of the Third Pass / Node of Genoa and freight marshalling yard of Alessandria, the work continues despite the complexities. “Right now we have reached about 80% of the tunnel excavations. The Nodo tunnels have been almost completed, only a hundred meters away from the Colombo tunnel, which is under the city of Genoa. With the completion of these excavations, Nodo and Terzo Valico will be in close connection, so the connection with the port will also be seen more. This will allow for a profound transformation of the territory and from a commercial point of view. With these two works, Genoa will be in a position to compete with the major ports of Northern Europe and the connection between Genoa and Milan will also be ensured in terms of passengers: the goal is to do so in less than an hour “.
As for the timing, Mauceri confirms the deadlines. “We are committed to delivering the work on the date set by the contract, which is the end of the works in December 2024”.
Subport tunnel
The CEO of Webuild also intervened on the project of subport tunnel and in particular on the competition of ideas that also involved the university world: “We made a call for ideas together with the University to build the Genoa subport tunnel. There are some projects, but it is not up to us to decide, we are the creators of political choices and calls for proposals that others must make. Ours is a contribution of ideas to what politics can achieve, we are certainly not the ones who decide whether or not to build the tunnel under the port of Genoa “.
The CEO of Aspiu Tomasi also had his say on the work: “We have the local authorities and in particular the mayor of Genoa Marco Bucci who push us to be able to open the activities for the subport tunnel in the best possible way for January 2023. The tunnel is a futuristic work at an international level to change the mobility of the city of Genoa. They are complex works for which we have the skills and abilities to be able to carry them out “.
